//------------------------------// // Step Three: Missteps // Story: First Steps // by Steel Resolve //------------------------------// “Where is that blasted ribbon?” Rarity exclaimed as she rummaged through the wreckage that had become her inspiration room. Sixteen half-formed dress designs fluttered to the ground, followed by a roll of silk and an open jar of buttons. The buttons spilled from their container in a shower of colors, only to be caught in Rarity’s magic and funneled back into the same jar.   “Pinkie, do you see the ribbon anywhere?” Rarity asked, looking around the room. “Pinkie?” “Mmhf hrrm mmhpf,” Pinkie mumbled through a tightly closed jaw. She’d been trying to help Rarity with her project for three hours now, and the unicorn had finally asked her just to stand still for a bit and model for her. Pinkie had been resolutely motionless ever since.   “Darling, are you hiding?” Rarity’s eyes darted around, looking for the location of her friend throughout the room. The ribbon was forgotten as she now seemed to have lost Pinkie. “I can’t do this with you right now; I’m too busy to play games. Will you please come out?”   Pinkie began to sweat lightly. “Mglrrf hrffpm murf!” she attempted more emphatically.   Rarity stomped a hoof irritably. “Fine, but when I find you, you had better help me find my ribbon! I need it for this design!”   “There isn’t any more ribbon!” Pinkie cried, finally allowing herself the slightest movement.   Rarity jumped in alarm, swinging to face the direction the voice had come from, only to see a few dress forms and a pile of fabric roughly twice pony height that she had apparently formed during her search. She began searching the pile, trying to see if Pinkie was hiding inside of it. “What do you mean there isn’t any more? And where are you?”   “Equestria to Rarity!” Pinkie said, touching the unicorn’s leg with a hoof. “You’re the one who said, ‘Pinkie, please just stand right here and, whatever you do, don’t move!’” Pinkie sagged a little, looking up guiltily. “But I guess I messed that up now, too…”   Seeing one of her dress forms reach out and touch her caused Rarity to leap backwards, grabbing a set of shears and pointing it in the direction of... “Pinkie!” Rarity scrambled up and threw her arms around her friend in comfort. “Right... I’m so sorry about that, I’ve just been so wrapped up in this photo shoot coming up. I quite forgot about you, which I suppose means you were doing an excellent job. Too good, in fact.” She tightened her hug, giving Pinkie a little nuzzle. “So, what happened to my ribbon, then?”   “Well…” Pinkie said, tracing a small circle repeatedly on the ground with her hoof. She was having trouble meeting the unicorn’s eye. “Remember that present I gave you yesterday?”   Rarity nodded, glancing at the item in question. “Yes, the ribbon storage container, nicely divided to keep the different colors separated. That was the first place I checked, in fact. What about it?”   “I kinda used the last of the ribbon when I wrapped it,” Pinkie said, lowering her ears. “I meant to go out and get some more, but then you were hungry, so I baked us those muffins. And then you were so tired that I ran you a bath. And then I changed your sheets because I know that you like them to be all clean and cozy when you’re all relaxed!” She slowly looked up, wondering what she’d find in the unicorn’s expression. “I-I could go get some more…”   “No, that’s... that’s all right,” Rarity said slowly as she tried not to show her dismay. The ribbon in question was special order direct from Prance. She would simply have to make do with a lesser grade, now. She had thought that ribbon had looked familiar, but at the time she was simply delighted with the thoughtful gift. “Pinkie, I really appreciate you being such a dear, but maybe you could go play with the twins or something. I’ll be fine, I just need to finish these designs and get the prototypes ready. I promise you I will have more time to spend with you once it’s done. Pinkie promise.”   Pinkie scanned the room, taking in the dozens of partially complete dresses. “But, Rarity,” she said, running a hoof along the ragged preliminary stitching that held the ensemble together. “These all have to be done this week!” She turned, throwing her hooves wide, wincing as some bit of stitching on the dress she was wearing tore with a loud riiiip. “Oops. Anyway, you’re just not going to get this stuff done without some help, and Pinkie Pie would never leave you high and dry! I’m here to lend a hoof in whatever way I can! I’ll rib your ribbons and needle your needles! Just show me which haute needs to be coutured and I’ll start couturing!” Pinkie stopped for a moment, putting a hoof to her chin. “Is that like coloring?” she mumbled, deep in thought. “It sounds kinda like coloring. Hot coloring…”   Rarity winced as the stitching ripped, trying to hold Pinkie steady while she slowly removed the gown in progress. “Pinkie, I appreciate it. Really, I do. But there are times I simply need my space! That doesn’t mean you aren’t being a good—” she hesitated, then made herself say it for Pinkie’s sake “—marefriend to me. You’ve been trying so hard, and I love you for it, do you hear? You’re wonderful to me, but right now I need you to go make yourself happy for a while.”   “Rarity…” Pinkie said quietly, meeting the unicorn’s eyes briefly before dropping her gaze to her own hooves. Noticing that they were chipped in precisely the way that Rarity disapproved of, she poked them underneath a nearby piece of loose fabric. “Look, I…” Pinkie swallowed hard. “I know I said I wouldn’t bring it up anymore, but if you would just talk to Fluttershy, I’m sure she’d—”   Rarity’s eyes flashed menacingly, irritated that this was coming up again. She dropped the embrace and stalked to the other side of the room, not looking at Pinkie. “No! She’s clearly not ready to talk to me or she would have come by instead of just sending a letter six weeks late! I won’t—” She wiped a foreleg across her eyes, which had gotten blurry all of sudden. “I can’t.”   “But look at all of it, Rar!” Pinkie said, pulling dresses in various stages of completion from the rolling rack the unicorn had tacked into the corner of the room. “You said this A-frame’s too tame, your sundress is a mess, this sari is sorry,” Pinkie pulled a particularly hideous monstrosity from the back of the rack, frowning at the punctured balloons that were stapled to it, “and you just fainted when you saw mine!” she said, holding the dress over her head. “I’m trying,” Pinkie said, her voice trembling slightly, “but I just don’t know how to do this stuff.” Dropping the dress, she trotted over, placing her hooves on Rarity’s shoulder and looking into her eyes. “Rarity, you haven’t brushed your mane since three days ago, and you haven’t even noticed that your mascara's been all runny since lunchtime. Fluttershy will help if you ask her. I just know it!”   “You don’t understand!” Rarity wailed, “I can’t just go over to her home as if nothing happened.”   Pinkie stomped a hoof. “Why, Rarity?!” she said, beginning to tear up. She bit hard on the inside of her lip, trying to control herself. No, she thought. I’m going to be strong for her! No crying! Struggling with her emotions, she slowly reined them in. “She’s the nice one, remember? She’s probably already forgotten all about—”   “That’s exactly what I asked her to do!” Rarity snapped back. “I asked her to never speak of it again, and what does she do? She writes me a letter speaking of it! No, she hasn’t forgotten, and I doubt she’s forgiven. She’s lying again because it’s the kind thing to do for her ‘poor deluded friend’ who fell in love with her.” She bit back a sob, rubbing her eyes once more. Clearly this was sweat running into them. She was not crying. “No, Pinkie. I can’t fix this by going to her house and giving her a hug. Some things can’t be undone, or unsaid.” More than anything, Pinkie hated sadness, and despite her very best efforts, Rarity’s misery was overwhelming her. She’d been in a constant war with it since the panicked unicorn received the letter from Cosmarepolitan magazine requesting a shoot of her fall line up. Since the moment her marefriend had ripped open the letter, the boutique had been a whirlwind of frenzied activity and despair. Pinkie tried everything in her arsenal to cheer Rarity up, but so far, she’d failed. Each night, after tucking the tearful fashionista into bed, Pinkie would walk home and finally allow her smile to fall away. As she would crawl into her own bed, in her bright, cheerful room, she’d take her picture of the six of them all together. Running her hoof gently over the glass, her eyes would be drawn to the same things.  She would notice the way that Rarity and Fluttershy were so close to each other. Rarity’s leg hooked around Fluttershy’s shoulders, drawing the pegasus to her tightly as the pegasus laughed.  On the other side of the picture, she was with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was making a face, pushing Pinkie off to the side. And there she was, giggling. She knew that it was because she’d hit Rainbow with a super-funnerific pun right when the camera went off, but since she’d framed the picture, she just couldn’t get rid of the mental image: Fluttershy being pulled into the group. Pinkie Pie being pushed out. It always made her think the same thing: Why didn’t anypony want her around? “But what about me, Rarity?!” Pinkie wailed, hating herself for breaking down. She furiously wiped away a tear with her hoof, grimacing as its ragged edge caught her eye again. “You keep telling me that you want to take it slow until you’re okay again, but you won’t do the thing that’s going to make you okay! I-I’m supposed to b-be your marefriend, but I don’t even know what that means anymore!” She sobbed aloud, unable to hold it back. “All you want is time alone, and all I am is in the way! You don’t want Fluttershy’s help because of those letters, but what about me?!  It’s like, wherever I’m trying to be, she’s there, between us! It’s like we’re at the costume party where I came as Fluttershy, but underneath, I’m Pinkie Pie and you can’t see it!” Pinkie’s lower lip trembled violently as her grip on her emotions finally broke; Pinkie burst into tears. “I-I don’t even remember the last time we kissed! I’ve tried everything I know to make you happy! I’ve tried presents and cakes and songs and… and… I don’t know what else! I-I just don’t know what else to do!” Rarity whirled around, rushing to Pinkie side and clasping her in a hug tighter than any she had ever given before, showering her with kisses. “Pinkie! Darling... I-I’m so... I never wanted to... Oh Celestia, look at what I am doing to you!” She continued peppering Pinkie with kisses, only pausing as Pinkie gradually calmed down. “Darling... I know you mean well, I know you’re trying.” She kissed Pinkie on the lips, hard. “But never, ever question whether I love you. You are special, in so many ways that Fluttershy cannot even compare to.” She lifted Pinkie’s chin as the mare lowered her eyes once more. “This... is exactly what worried me; my not being able to get past all this hurt. That’s why I asked her to pretend it never happened. And now... I am going to ask the same of you. I don’t want to talk about Fluttershy again.” She got a napkin and dabbed at her eyes. Pinkie was right; the sweat was making her makeup run. “I think... I need a break. You can relax for now, there is nothing to help me with, okay?” “Okay,” Pinkie said quietly. “I… I’ll be at Sugarcube Corner if you want to come and see me.” Pinkie avoided Rarity’s eyes as she walked to the boutique’s entrance, but as she stopped to open the door, a flash of color from the small wastebasket Rarity kept beside it caught her attention. Pinkie stared down at the white and pink wrapping paper that Rarity had discarded there after she’d opened Pinkie’s present. Seeing it there, in the wastebasket, Pinkie wiped her welling eyes again with her ragged hoof. Unwanted, she thought, sniffing. Just like me.  Swallowing hard, she stepped out onto the street, closing the door quietly behind her. “Pinkie?” Mrs. Cake asked through the bathroom door. “Pinkie, dear? Are you okay in there?”   “Um, yes, Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie said, splashing loudly. “I-I’m just taking a bath. I got all dirty at Rarity’s.”   “How in Equestria did you get dirty in a place like that?” Mrs. Cake asked. Pinkie could hear her pacing slowly back and forth in front of the door. “Rarity keeps her shop so clean!”   “Well, we were in the back,” Pinkie said, sinking further down into the water. “It’s a lot dustier there.”   “It’s... just that you, well… You seemed a little upset when you came in,” the baker replied.   “Um, I got some of the dust in my eye,” Pinkie replied, wishing with all her heart it had been true. “That’s why I had to jump right in here and wash it out.”   “Okay, dear. Well, let me know if something is bothering you…” Mrs. Cake said hopefully.   “Sure,” Pinkie said quietly. “No problem.”   For a moment, everything was silent. Then Pinkie heard Mrs. Cake trot back down the stairs with a heavy sigh.   “I-I’m sorry, Mrs. Cake,” she whispered. “I just can’t get anything right. Rarity doesn’t want me around. Fluttershy’s acting weird. I hardly even see Rainbow, Applejack and Twilight anymore.” Pinkie squeezed the soap underwater, watching as it shot up into the air. With a blorp, it fell back into the water like a breaching whale. Usually this delighted her, but now Pinkie was just annoyed that she had to fish around in the cloudy water to find the soap again. “And now I’m lying to you,” she said to the door as she gave up on trying to capture the slippery bar of soap. Pinkie folded her forelegs on the edge of the tub, resting her head on them. “If I talked to you, then you’d be sad… like I am.”   Suddenly, Pinkie’s ears perked up as she remembered that she did have someone she could talk to. Plunging her hoof deep into her curly mane, she squinted as she fished around for her bathtime companion. “A-ha!” she said, as her hoof closed on the molded rubber, and she grinned a little as a muffled squeak came from somewhere within the cavernous expanses of her hair. Pulling out Dr. Quackers, she rubbed his bill with her nose a few time, giggling at the way he squeaked, and then dropped him in the water.   “Oh, Dr. Quackers, why didn’t I think of talking to you before?” Pinkie sighed, her smile faltering as memories of the last month played through her mind again. “Lots has happened since you saw us at the spa.” Pinkie leaned back in the tub, raising her hind leg out of the water and watching the way the light sparkled off of the glistening rivulets as they streamed down her shin. “At first, I couldn’t believe it. Rarity kissed me, Doc!” She paused to let the duck take it in. “I know! I couldn’t believe it either! I mean, she’s the prettiest mare in Equestria, and she’s kissing me!” Pinkie’s eyes misted, and she blinked rapidly. “It was like a coloring book. You know, the kind where you really spend the afternoon getting the colors just right, and in the end it looks like a super-pretty stained glass window?” Pinkie splashed her hoof in the water, and Dr. Quackers nodded as the ripples reached him. “I knew you’d know what I was talking about, Dr. Quackers!”   Grabbing a washcloth from the nearby rack, Pinkie used it to net the soap. “It was like a dream,” she sighed as she scrubbed at the bottoms of her hooves. “Not like one of those weird dreams where Twilight is a turnip or something like that, but a perfect dream; one where you get all the stuff that you ever wanted. We were doing everything together, and I still just couldn’t believe it. We went out to that bar a few more times and danced a whole bunch. We even went to that karaoke place and Rarity got so many of those strawberry duckry things that she got really kissy!”   Dr. Quackers slowly floated in a circle, turning away.   “Oh, sorry!” Pinkie said, blushing. “Too much information, huh? But, the more we went out, the more she kinda…” Pinkie twirled her hoof in the air vaguely. “…I don’t know. Flutterized it.”   Dr. Quackers stared at her.   “Okay, maybe that not the actual name, but I don’t know the right word for it,” Pinkie said, shrugging. “It was always, ‘Pinkie, I really shouldn’t be doing this’ or ‘maybe we should slow down’. I kept trying to show her that it was okay, but the closer I tried to get, the further away she kept going!”   Pinkie twisted the washcloth, wringing the soapy liquid from it before dunking it back in the warm water. She watched as it floated beside her, ghost-like. That’s me she thought. Just hovering there. I’m not up or down or left or right. I’m just there, caught in the middle.   Dr. Quackers bumped into her leg, and she jumped. “Oh, I’m sorry, Doc!” she said, covering her racing heart with her hoof. “I kinda got lost in a thought. Anyway, it was mostly okay until this letter arrived, telling Rarity that Cosmarepolitan was coming—what?” Pinkie goggled at Dr. Quackers. “Oh, come on!” she cried, throwing her hooves up. “It’s just the most important fashion magazine in all of Equestria! You need to get out a little more, Doc!”   Pinkie splashed in the murky water until she found the washcloth again. Wrapping it around a hoof, she used it to scrub behind her ears. “The letter said that they’d be coming by to do a photo shoot of her fall line up, but Rarity was in Baltimare all summer!” Pinkie leaned forward over Dr. Quackers. “She doesn’t have a fall line!”   Dr. Quackers flipped over as the wave hit him.   “Yeah, Rar fainted, too!” Pinkie said, turning the duck right side up again.   Finishing her ears, Pinkie worked the washcloth around her eyes, pursing her lips as she felt the matted fur beneath them. “Since then, well, it’s been... hard. Rarity let me help for a little while, but when the stitching came out all crooked on the dresses I was doing, she got a little snippy. And speaking of snippy, when I cut out all those fun shapes with those Pinkie shear things, she started crying and she wouldn’t stop for hours. I-I didn’t know it was special, one-of-a-kind super-duper fabric. I just thought it was pretty and would look nice on the dresses with all those zig-zags.”   Dr. Quackers dipped his head to look at her sternly.   “Yeah, I know,” Pinkie said, frowning. “I probably should have asked, but she told me to get creative.”   Hanging the washcloth back on the rack, Pinkie leaned back in the tub, allowing the warm water to reach her chin. “And it all just kinda stopped, Doc,” Pinkie said, looking up at the ceiling. “I know she’s busy, but even before that, she was acting like she didn’t want me around. She kept saying ‘Fluttershy this’ and ‘Fluttershy that’, and I kept saying that I wasn’t Fluttershy, but she wouldn’t listen. Every time I tried to snuggle or kiss or hug, I could feel her get all stiff and pull-backy and I knew that she was thinking about Fluttershy again.”   Pinkie sighed, slowly waving her legs back and forth under the water and watching the ripples bounce back and forth. “Now, Rarity is trying to be nice, but she doesn’t want me around.”   The ripples hit Dr. Quackers, and he shrugged, bobbing from side to side.   “Yeah, I know the shoot will be over soon, but the Fluttershy thing won’t,” Pinkie said, her voice beginning to crack as she teared up again. “It’s getting worse all the time, and I-I don’t want to be Flutterized anymore!” Pinkie swallowed hard, splashing water on her face to wash away her tears. “I-I just keep trying to be around, you know?” she said as Dr. Quackers snuggled up to her leg sympathetically. “I keep trying to show her that I’m Pinkie Pie, and that I want her, but I’m just not sure she wants me.”   Dr. Quackers stared at her blankly.   “Maybe she really wants Fluttershy, and that’s why she won’t go talk to her,” Pinkie whispered, squeezing her eyes closed and covering them with her hooves. “I think she’s scared of how she’ll feel when she sees her.”   Riding a wave, Dr. Quackers tapped repeatedly against her rear hoof.   “Huh?” Pinkie said, as she looked down at him. “Get back on my hooves? Whattaya mean?”   As a particularly large ripple hit him, Dr. Quackers fell again, head-butting her leg.   “Fight for her? But, maybe she doesn’t want me anymore. I’m supposed to be her fish, but I’m just an old carp and she’s this beautiful fisherpony with a… uh… sequiny raincoat?” Pinkie finished lamely, furrowing her brow. “I don’t know. That sounds weird. I do know that she’s perfect and I’m just a silly pink pony who loves cakes and confetti.”   Pinkie watched with some concern as Dr. Quackers finally flipped completely over. “No, I don’t want to give up, but how am I supposed to compete with Fluttershy? She’s pretty and quiet and nopony ever crosses the street and hurries along when they see her like they do when I come around. Plus, she knows all about sewing and fashion and all the stuff Rarity really likes. Not like me.” Dr. Quackers suddenly flipped back over with such force that he shot an inch or two out of the water. “Well, it’s easy for you to say that I should be my normal bouncy self, but that’s not working so well. Still…”   Pinkie drew a deep breath, wiping her eyes one final time. “You’re right, Doc! I’m her fish, and I don’t want to be thrown back, so I won’t throw her back!” she said, slamming down her hoof forcefully. She winced as water shot across the bathroom. “I’m going to figure out a way to get un-Flutterized! Then Rarity will love me again!”   Pinkie picked up Dr. Quackers, squeaking him a few times before planting a kiss on the top of his head. “Thanks, Doc,” she said. “You’re a life-saver!” Rarity pinned up another section of fabric on the dress form containing the gown Pinkie had recently vacated. It still smelled slightly of vanilla and cinnamon, and just a hint of raspberry. You made her cry... You’re a horrid, useless marefriend... You don’t deserve her, or anypony else. Her eyes blurred again, and she wiped a hoof across them. She swore quietly as she pricked the frog of her hoof with the pin.   She levitated a piece of cloth from the scraps bin, intent on using it to wipe the blood from her hoof, but paused when she recognized the bizarrely cut swath of Saddle Arabian silk that she had become so terribly upset over. She brought it closer, clutching it to her breast.   A tail wrapped itself around her leg as a set of whiskers rubbed up against the other. She looked down to have her eyes met with those of her cat’s. Opal let out a plaintive meow and walked towards her food dish.   “Just a moment, baby. Mommy is having a crisis.” Rarity said, still holding the silk tightly. It wasn’t such a bad cut after all, surely she could reshape it just a bit. Oh, that would work, it would make a nice silk handkerchief. That would be wonderful for dabbing my eyes. Perhaps with a nice pink trim?   Opal gave her a cross look, walking back over to her and sitting down near her feet. She cocked an ear in Rarity’s direction, yawning and stretching.   “Oh, don’t be like that. I’ve heard you yowling at toms late at night. I’m not the only one having romance issues.”   Opal sneezed daintily, looking at her sidelong, as if to say ‘What of it?’   Rarity fetched some shears, carefully holding the swatch in her magic. Yes, there is a place for you, my little oddity. I think I will monogram you, and then drop you as a sign of favor. She paused, wondering if Pinkie would understand. Hmmm, perhaps I will just wrap you up as a present instead.   A paw batted at her leg, nearly causing her to miss her mark. She looked down to see Opal casually flexing her claws. “Very well, baby. No need to get testy.” She laid the newly cut piece of silk down, walking to the kitchen to get Opal her food.   When Opal was tended to, Rarity sat back down and began working on the gift once more. She hummed happily as she embroidered the hem with alternating balloons and diamonds, thinking of that moment of pure joy on Pinkie’s face when she received it. It was interesting and adorable to see; Pinkie had so many smiles, they were nearly a language. Perhaps I should begin cataloging them, she thought wryly. But there was one smile in particular Rarity loved above all.   It said so many things with a simple expression. It spoke of thanks, and surprise, and love. But these were just the surface feelings. It was a very rare smile, and one Rarity had only come to recognize because she had witnessed it more than once. It was the smile that lit up her face when she’d realized her friends had thrown her a surprise birthday party... and the smile she’d had after their first kiss.   She wanted so badly to see that smile again. Rarity knew she was a trying mare at times, but she really did appreciate Pinkie’s intent to help her, even if the results were contrary to the intent.   She looked down, quite pleased with the result of her work. In the corner of the handkerchief she monogrammed Pinkie’s initials, then carefully folded it. Now, I just need something to wrap you up with.   Her eyes darted around the room, and fell to her waste paper basket. The wrapping paper Pinkie had used for her gift was at the bottom. She lifted it up, eyeing it critically. She had been a bit excited when Pinkie had presented her with the box done up in fancy ribbon and wrapped in pink and white paper. It was the little touch that had made it all the more special. Pinkie had remembered her mentioning that eggshell white went well with pink.   She straightened the paper, smoothing out any wrinkles in the edges, and recut it to fit her gift. She found it terribly fitting to be reusing the same paper, much as she had repurposed the silk for the gift. It made her smile to think that, in a very real way, this gift was something that they had worked on together.   Below the paper, she spied the lengths of her french lace ribbon that had been used to carefully and lovingly adorn Pinkie’s present to Rarity. She retrieved it from the basket, and used it to do the same to Pinkie’s gift.   Yes, this will do nicely. I think it’s time I saw my little baker, and gave her a little sugar. She blushed, then nodded determinedly.  “Welcome to Sugarcube Corn—Oh, hello, Rarity!” Cup Cake said with a smile. “You’re a bit late for muffins, but I just pulled out a pan of those croissants you always rave about. Shall I get some out for you?”   “Hello, Cup. Just here to see Pinkie, actually—” Rarity paused as the smell from the kitchen assailed her nostrils. “Wait, croissants, you say?”   Cup nodded. “Still hot enough to melt butter.”   “Um... half a dozen, if you please. Keep them warm for me, will you?”   “Of course. Pinkie is upstairs, taking a bath. Did you notice her looking a little down when she was over at your shop?” Cup didn’t outright say it, but the implication did not have to be spelled out for her. This was Cup’s way of asking if Rarity had upset Pinkie.   Rarity cringed, looking at the stairs leading to Pinkie’s room. “It’s nothing horrible, Cup. I was a bit snappish with her over something that wasn’t her fault. I came over to make up.”   Cup frowned at Rarity. “See that you do, young mare. She may not be my daughter, but I love her like one. I won’t have her mistreated, do you understand me?”   Rarity wilted under that maternal gaze, nodding hurriedly. “I promise you, Cup, I didn’t mean to hurt her. That’s the last thing I want.”   Keeping her eyes fixed on Rarity for a long moment, Cup’s gaze finally softened. “Go, make up.”   Rarity climbed the stairs slowly, uncertain of her reception when she reached Pinkie’s room. She despised this feeling; it ate her up inside to know that she’d managed to hurt Pinkie for exactly the reason she’d feared she would when they’d begun seeing each other. She wished she’d never read that damned letter. She’d just begun to properly get over the hurt in her heart, then along comes a heartfelt apology from her former best friend to send her emotions into turmoil again. She needed to focus on her present, and she could never do that by clinging to the past.   She knocked on the door, waiting with bated breath for Pinkie to answer.   “Hello?”   “Pinkie? It’s Rarity. May I come in?”   She heard scrambling on the other side of the door. In a moment the door was opened wide.   “I’m sorry!” They both said simultaneously, and for a few confused moments both of them were talking at once, to the point where neither could understand what the other was saying. They both stopped at the same time, and silence hung over them like a dark cloud.   “I… I brought you a gift,” Rarity said, finally. “It’s not much, but I was looking at that silk you were working on and I made you something nice out of it...” She brought the present from behind her back with her magic. “I... I know I have been very trying of late...”   Pinkie batted the gift aside. It was in between them, and right now, that was the last thing Pinkie wanted. Charging forward, she threw her legs around the unicorn. “You came!” she said, her voice trembling. “I… I was scared that you wouldn’t come because I keep messing everything up!” Pinkie brushed Rarity’s lips with her own, seeking a kiss before pulling back, unsure.   She settled for nuzzling Rarity’s cheek, hoping that the unicorn would accept that much from her. “I’m the one who’s been trying because I keep trying to try harder, but the harder I try, the more trying my trying gets!” Pinkie sat down, releasing her embrace, but allowing her hoof to slide through Rarity’s mane, down her face to cup the unicorn’s cheek briefly before falling to the floor. “I’m so, so sorry, Rarity. I know I’m not Fluttershy, but—oops!” Pinkie covered her mouth with a hoof. She pulled back, searching Rarity’s face for anger.   Rarity winced internally; she really had made her poor Pinkie feel inadequate. She pushed Pinkie’s hoof aside with her hoof, leaning in for the kiss she’d been afraid to take. Pinkie’s eyes opened wide, snapping shut as she pressed her lips back to Rarity’s. When the kiss was broken, Rarity smiled happily. “You silly little filly. Did you truly think I would let you go? You’re mine, remember?” She nodded to the bed, “I think it’s past time you and I had a little talk about... that mare.”   Pinkie followed her to the bed, sitting down next to Rarity with a whump. Rarity took a deep breath. It was story time. “Let’s see, where to begin... Well, when I was a much smaller Rarity, I met a pegasus foal by a pond. She said she had fallen from the sky, and was lost and unable to fly home. Even then, she was such a pretty child. I was quite enamored with her, though I did not understand why at the time. I took her to an adult, and expected I would never see her again. Years later, she came back, and we became fast friends, she and I. I suppose... that was when I began to love her—” The story went on for some time, detailing the highs and lows of their friendship, and the growing uncertainty Rarity had about her feelings. She talked about the letters she’d sent to Fluttershy, and her elation that her feelings were returned, followed by her deep depression to find it was all a lie.   She concluded with the final message Fluttershy had sent her. “And there you have it, my love. No, you are not her, but neither was she the pony I always thought she was. I had built her up in my head as this perfect angel-pony, but...” She paused, sighing. “I suppose that’s the trouble. She felt so badly about disappointing me that she lied about her feelings. And now, here we are, a wonderful friendship broken because of my wanting more of her than she could give me.”   “But… I don’t understand,” Pinkie said, staring down at her hooves as they twisted around each other. “It just seems like…” Pinkie stopped for a moment, collecting herself. “It just seems like maybe you’d be better with her,” Pinkie finished, her voice breaking on the last syllable. “I want you so much, but I’m a laughy-bouncy-singy pony that doesn’t know anything about sewing or fashion or making tea for a Canterloty-style gala.” Pinkie took hold of Rarity’s hoof, holding it between her own. “Please, Rarity,” she whispered, staring into the unicorn’s eyes intently. “If you still want her, I…” Pinkie swallowed hard. “I have to know. Dr. Quackers said I should fight for your love, and I’m ready to, but not if it’s already too late.” Pinkie paused, searching Rarity’s eyes. “I won’t hate you, I promise, but, well, you’re kinda having a hard time even saying her name. I don’t know what that means…”   Rarity shook her head sadly. “Darling, that’s what I mean when I said she’s not the pony I thought. It’s not her fault, she just doesn’t like mares that way. I always thought I was the same in that respect, save for her, and I built that up in my head. I thought that I could be attracted to her when normally I was only attracted to males meant we were somehow destined for each other. Then you... wonderful, funderful you...” She held Pinkie’s face with both hooves. “You made me see. You asked me if you could be mine, and in that moment, I just knew I could come to love you so easily. I’m just not that hung up on form. I loved Fluttershy for who she was, and I love you for who you are. But her... she can’t love me that way.” She finished, blushing.   “So… you’re not wishing I was her?” Pinkie said, gripping Rarity’s hoof tightly. “Like, for really?”   Rarity leaned in for another kiss, pecking Pinkie on the cheek. “Never, my lovely. There is only one of you, and I wouldn’t ever trade you for anything!”   Pinkie pounced, tackling Rarity and pushing her down onto the bed. Somewhere between laughing and crying, she twisted her hoof into Rarity’s mane, steering the mare into a deep kiss, and then another, this time ending with a tiny nibble on Rarity’s bottom lip. Finally, wiping her eye with a hoof, she rolled to one side, covering her eyes with her hooves. “Oh, Rarity,” she said quietly. “I guess I’ve been kinda silly.”   “You have been more than a little silly.” Rarity leaned up and kissed Pinkie on the nose. “Fortunately for us both, I rather like silly.”   “Well, it was all going so well,” Pinkie said, rolling onto her side and propping herself up with an elbow. “We started seeing a lot of each other, and even though you said that you weren’t ready for... stuff yet, well, stuff kept happening! We had days that were stuffed full of stuff, like when I stuff myself full of stuffing during the holidays but then I still want more stuffing, even though I’m stuffed!”   Rarity sat up, holding up her head with a hoof as she turned sideways to face Pinkie. “Well, it was just too easy with you. I love being with you; you make me smile. I just... I wish I could do the same for you more often, but that’s not my talent. I suppose we’re a bit like the masks I would see hung up at the theater, you and I... I am drama, you are comedy. Another way we match well.”   “But, just as stuff would happen, you’d stop. You’d say that you weren’t ready for stuff, but you totally were! You’d even start the stuff sometimes, and then stop it!” Pinkie’s eyes began to water again, and she wiped them with the back of her hoof. “So, I thought maybe, I wasn’t the one you wanted stuff with,” she continued, looking away and biting her lip. “I thought maybe Fluttershy was who you really wanted. And then that letter came and you got really super busy, and I kept trying to help, but then I’d mess up and you’d yell at me, and I thought maybe it was because I was the wrong mare. I thought maybe you really wanted some mare that could sew… and stuff.”   “Never the wrong mare, darling. Just... the wrong time. I worried so much about whether I was over her that I held myself back from falling in love with you. And that’s not fair to you.” She smacked a hoof down the bed for emphasis. “No longer! I refuse to keep punishing us both for something that isn’t anypony’s fault.” She pressed Pinkie down with a hoof, climbing atop her, her mane hanging over them both like a tent. “You are mine and I am yours.” She leaned down and closed the distance between their lips once more. Raising herself, she licked her lips, marveling that Pinkie always seemed to taste of something sweet. Hmmm, I wonder if she tastes as sweet everywhere... “Come on, I believe somepony owes me a dance.”   “Are we going dancing?” Pinkie said, looking at her calendar. “Oh no! I must have forgotten to put a heart sticker on today!” Struggling with a drawer on a nearby end table, she flipped end over end as it suddenly opened. As the drawer flew through the air, hundreds of sparkly, heart shaped stickers, each with Rarity’s face on them, fell to the ground in a gentle rain. “Oops,” Pinkie said, grinning ruefully. “I guess I stuffed too many of them in there.” Peeling one away from its backing, she stuck it on the day’s date. “There!” she said, beaming.   “I meant...” Rarity paused, collecting herself. In the heat of the moment she had intended something a bit more risque. Innuendo is not her strong suit, Rarity. “Nevermind. Yes, love, let’s go dancing. I’ll beg off this photo shoot and tell them to come back in the winter instead. I’ll teach you to mambo.” I’ll teach you the horizontal version another day.   Pinkie’s mouth dropped open. “But, Rarity!” she gasped. “You said it yourself; it’s the most important shoot of your career!” Her hooves began twisting around each other again. “I-I’d love to go dancing with you, but your fall line—”   “My line doesn’t mean more than you do. There will be others. They come every year, after all. All I have with you is a mere lifetime. Hardly enough.” Rarity got up, allowing Pinkie to do the same. “Remember to bring bits. I have some tension to burn off.” One way or another, she was going to entwine herself around this mare tonight.   “Waitaminute!” Pinkie said, bounding to the other side of the room. “We can’t leave yet!”   “Oh?”   Pinkie lunged, snatching the expertly wrapped gift Rarity had brought her from where it had landed on her hamper. “I haven’t opened your present!” she squealed, her eyes shining as she beamed at Rarity. “Oh, I wonder what it is!”   Rarity smiled back, watching Pinkie tear into the gift like Opal would a fresh fish. “Just a little something we made together, darling. I hope you’ll like it.” Pinkie hummed as she worked the feather duster along the rows of shelves Rarity used for storage in her workroom. “I guess she has been busy!” she said, attacking a particularly large pile of dust and loose bits of string. “Huh. She’s always saying that the only place that she likes to be dirty is the bedroom, but it’s pretty clean in there, too!” Pinkie sat for a moment, putting her hoof to her chin. “Gonna have to ask her about that. Maybe I should be putting this dust in there instead of the wastebasket.” Pinkie looked at the detritus covering the ends of the feathers. “But that would be kinda weird. Must be a unicorn thing.”   Smiling, Pinkie stepped back, admiring the tidy shelves. “Oh, she’s gonna love it!” Pinkie said, clapping her hooves. “Okay, now to arrange these dress forms.” Several of the models had been knocked over, and the rest sat hap-hazardly around the room, evidence of the frenzy of creation Rarity had been in for weeks. “Let’s get you girls all lined up!” Pinkie said, righting one that was lying on its side. “There you go.”   Pinkie squinted at a swatch of blue fabric that had been underneath the dress form. Picking up the cloth, Pinkie rubbed it between her hooves, enjoying the smoothness of the designer material. Grinning, she tied it around the dress form’s neck like a kerchief. “There, now you kinda look like Rainbow!” Setting the feather duster on the dress form’s back, Pinkie broke out into giggles. “Rainbow, you’ve got some really dirty wings!” she snorted.   Spying a tangled web of yellow yarn from beneath Rarity’s workbench, she grabbed it, working diligently to unknot the unkempt ball. “I wonder if Opal got to this,” she muttered. “Either that, or Rarity’s a really bad knitter.”   After several minutes of intense concentration, and one tearful breakdown, Pinkie finally cried out in victory, thrusting the neat ball high overhead. “That’s right, yarn! I’ve foiled your evil skein! Now, you get to be Fluttershy.” Grinning, she wound the yarn around and around the nearest dress form’s neck, covering it in soft yellow from chin to chest. Humming again, she pushed it next to where Rainbow stood.   Hunting through the discarded bits of scrap on the floor, Pinkie threw away what she couldn’t use, always keeping an eye out for bits of cloth and other materials that reminded her of her friends.   The next form became Twilight with a horn she made from the cardboard center of a fabric roll and a small bit of purple ribbon. Draping the dress form with purple silk, she clapped her hooves together before pushing it next to Fluttershy.   As her hunt continued, she squealed when she found some apple appliqués in the corner. Using several safety pins, Pinkie attached them to the dress forms flank, and then grabbed one of Rarity’s half-finished sun bonnets. Plopping it onto Applejack’s head, cocking her head to the side, Pinkie’s brow furrowed as she eyed the dress form critically. “Close enough,” she said, shrugging as she pushed Applejack into the neat row.   For some reason, Rarity had an over-abundance of pink fabric lying around on the floor, and Pinkie used it to mummify the next dress form. Stepping back to admire her handy work, she burst out laughing, rolling on the floor and covering herself in bits of multi-colored string. “I look like a ball!” she snorted. She’d wrapped the dress form in so much material that it was impossible to even tell what it was anymore. “I guess I am pretty fluffy!” she said, pressing her mane repeatedly with her hoof.   Standing and dusting herself off, Pinkie arrived at the last dress form. It was lying on its side, covered with a cloth tape measure and several pieces of purple taffeta. Tenderly, Pinkie wrapped her hooves around and gently righted it. “And you’re Rarity,” she said, running a hoof along the blank contours of the dress form’s face. Humming again, she set to meticulously cleaning the model, picking off each bit of string. Without realizing it, Pinkie began to sing.   They say that love’s a mystery. And we don’t have much history. But when she’s gone, it leaves a space. That nopony else can quite replace.   But I’m just a silly filly. Lost when wearing something frilly. And still she took the time to see, The pony hidden inside me.   Walking to Rarity’s wardrobe, she picked out a beautiful white and purple gown. Catching her reflection in the wardrobe’s mirrored door, she pressed the gown against her body, encircling it with a hoof and snuggling her cheek into its shoulder.   I swam alone, For so very long. Wondering what, I was doing wrong. But she dove in, To that deep blue sea. Just to come and, Swim alongside me.   Bringing the gown back to the dress form, she carefully began dressing it, admiring each button and seam. As always, the craftsmanship was absolutely perfect.   Now every day’s a wonderland, Her kisses shock like thunder and, Her fur, her hooves, her horn, her eyes! Each moment brings a new surprise!   We fit just right, like hoof in glove, And so I bake, and laugh, and love! All ‘cause she took the time to see, The pony hidden inside me.   With a pair of scissors, Pinkie drilled two small holes in a cardboard tube, and then hunted for a bit of white fabric.   I swam alone, For so very long. Wondering what, I was doing wrong. But she dove in, To that deep blue sea. Just to come and, Swim along with me.   But I just think it feels so right. Bubble-gum pink and eggshell white. So I’ll be near, come rain or shine. ‘Cause I love to hear her say, “You’re mine!”   Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief when she finally moved Rarity’s industrial sewing machine and found several feet of white silk ribbon. Snipping it in two, she threaded the first half through the holes and tied the horn to Rarity’s forehead. She used the other half to wind around the horn, giving it a white, pearlescent sheen. Smiling, she pushed Rarity into place, making sure to snuggle Pinkie up next to her.   I’ve given up my heart, you see, It feels as though it’s been set free. Filled with joy, and all because, I never knew how sad I was,   ‘Cause one fish is a lonely thing, But two fish is a cause to sing! I’m hers ’cause she looked to see, The pony hidden inside me.   Rarity paused at the top of the stairs. She had been coming down to check on Pinkie, and heard her impromptu song of joy and love, and while she hadn’t wanted to interrupt, she could not help but add her own verse. She sang out, clear and strong, delighted at the acoustics that carried her voice to her beloved. She walked downstairs slowly, singing a final refrain.   Oh, my nights were so dark and long, Lacking laughter. Lacking song, but, My pretty bouncy ball of fun, Aimed for my heart and I was won.   I spent my life Looking for my love I cried “unfair!” To the stars above. You came along At my darkest time And asked if you Could please be all mine!   As she sang the final note, she closed the distance between them, wrapping her hooves around Pinkie and kissing her passionately. “That was a lovely surprise. How are we doing down here?”   Pinkie bounced rapidly up and down, pointing to the decorated dress forms. “Look, Rarity! I made us!” she said proudly. “We look pretty good, dontcha think?”   Rarity looked over the odd creations Pinkie had made, trying not to laugh. She did think it was adorable for the effort, at least. “Well, I seem to look fabulous, but you do yourself a disservice.”   “What do you mean?” Pinkie said, studying her model. “It looks just like me! I think so, at least.” Pinkie looked away, rubbing one front hoof with the other. “But, you know what?” she asked. “Now that I’m looking at our dress friends, well, it kinda reminded me that we haven’t seen a lot of our real friends.”   Pinkie walked to the Applejack model, pushing her closer to Twilight. “Applejack is always with Twilight. Rainbow, too,” she continued, pulling the Rainbow dress form over into the three-mare group. “And, well, Fluttershy…” Pinkie said, giving the dress form a long stare before turning to Rarity. Without Rainbow Dash and Twilight on each side, Fluttershy stood alone. “She kinda doesn’t have anypony, I guess. I know you don’t wanna hear it, but…”   Rarity huffed, upset that the name was being spoken again. “That’s as she wishes. If she wanted to see me, she would. She has chosen to be alone.” Rarity pointed at the offending dress form. “I invited her to come talk things over before she lied to me about how she felt. I said to come by for tea so we could talk things through. The invitation remains even today, but she never shows.” She looked away from ‘Fluttershy’, back to Pinkie. “It’s not like she asked me to come by her home, and I won’t force myself on her.”   Pinkie lingered for a moment, gently touching Fluttershy’s ear before walking to Rarity. “Maybe I could tell you about the first party that I threw for her. It was kind of a disaster.” Pinkie sat, hanging her head. “You see, I’d just moved to Ponyville, and I’d met her when some other ponies introduced us. I kept trying to be really friendly, but I just couldn’t get her to really say anything. She kept looking away and blushing and saying ‘um’ a whole lot. So I thought maybe if I threw her a party, she’d feel really special and it would help out.”   Sighing again, Pinkie stood and began to pace. “I went all out. Balloons. Music. Games. The whole works. I invited everypony in town. And you know what happened?”   Rarity thought for a moment, trying to picture the scene. “She stood in a corner, making herself as small as possible, and spoke in small squeaks whenever anypony got near?”   “Not even!” Pinkie said, stomping a hoof. “She didn’t even show up! I did all that work just to make her happy, and she stayed home! Well, I was pretty upset, so I trotted right on over there and knocked on her door! I wanted answers! And eventually, after two hours of knocking and yelling, she opened the door!” Pinkie looked away, folding her ears. “But… when she did, she was crying, Rarity. I’d wanted to give her a piece of my mind, but she was so sad!  It turns out that she really wanted to go to the party, but she was super-nervous and she just couldn’t leave the cottage. It was really tearing her up!”   Pinkie rose, drawing herself up to her full height. “So I ran right back to the party, and told everyone to have a really great time. Then I gathered up a few cupcakes and a little punch, and I got back to Fluttershy as fast as I could. We sat on the couch and ate the cupcakes, and I tried to bring her a party on her level. One that she could be at without feeling scared and worried!” Pinkie walked back to Rarity, running a hoof through her luxurious curls. “After that, I made sure to make small parties for Fluttershy, until she got more used to the attention. Now, she almost always comes when I invite her.” Pinkie looked up at Rarity, searching her eyes. “Does that help?”   “No, it really doesn’t, Pinkie. She comes when you invite her, but not when I do.” Rarity slumped. “I-I told her I was sorry, so many times, and she never wrote back for weeks. I... just wanted us to be normal again, no uncomfortable secrets out in the open muddling things up. I wanted my friend back.” She sniffed loudly. “But she was too afraid of me! As if I was going to pounce on her and make her do things.”   “Well, what I mean is that Fluttershy is Fluttershy, and you have to treat her like Fluttershy,” Pinkie said softly, holding Rarity’s cheek in her hoof. “I wanted her to come to that party so bad, but in the end, I had to bring a party to her. A little party. One that didn’t frighten her, because being with ponies is better than getting your own way all the time.” Pinkie dropped her hoof and looked out the window. “I think so, at least,” she added after a moment.   “Fine, go visit her. Do what you wish. I won’t stop you.” Rarity pointedly turned away from the dress form. “Maybe you could remind her of my offer for tea. Tell her... wine is off the table, though. She’ll... she’ll know what I mean.”   Pinkie walked over to Rarity and planted a kiss on her ear. “I-I know it’s been hard,” she said. “Sometimes, when you think nopony’s looking, you just stare out the windows and tear up a little.” Pinkie bit her lip, dropping her eyes to the ground. “Maybe I’m being selfish, but I want all of you, Rarity. Not just the parts that Fluttershy’s not in. I just can’t see you hurting anymore.” Pinkie drew Rarity into an embrace, nuzzling her. “It’ll all work out. You’ll see.”   “That’s just my allergies! The weather has been a bit erratic lately, probably because Dash is off the weather team,” Rarity said, eyes darting back to the trio of dress forms meant to represent their other friends. “But you... you should still go to her. Somepony should.” She finished, looking away from the group once more.   “Allergies, huh?” Pinkie replied doubtfully. “Anyway, I’ll go talk to her,” Pinkie said, a smile spreading slowly across her face. “But first, I’m gonna remind you that you said you wanted to take me out to dinner tonight!” Pinkie’s stomach rumbled loudly. “Heh heh!” Pinkie said, looking down at it. “I guess my tummy’s reminding you, too!”   Rarity laughed, not so much amused as relieved that the conversation had passed on to less stressful topics. “Yes, let’s go take care of that tummy, then.” Pinkie hummed to herself as she bounced along the familiar path to Fluttershy’s cottage. Before they had all left for the summer, she’d traveled the path at least once every few days, but now things were different; the summer had changed everything. Her last visit seemed like it was a lifetime ago.   Rounding the final curve, Pinkie leapt forward with greater speed. With the cottage now in sight, she could barely wait to visit her friend again. She’d been staying away for Rarity’s sake, but she’d missed Fluttershy terribly. Just seeing the cottage again made her heart swell with joy.   We’ll get everything all fixed up! Pinkie thought, grinning as she reached another leap’s apex. Maybe Rarity and Fluttershy are a little scared to talk right now, but down inside, they miss each other. I just know it!   As Pinkie bounded into the yard, a cacophonous racket filled the air as chickens and ducks ran for cover. Pinkie waved as the curtain on a nearby window twitched. She’d caught just a barest hint of yellow and pink before it had fallen back into place.   “Fluttershy, it’s Pinkie!” she said, knocking on the door. “Today’s my day off, so I wanted to come visit.”   The cottage’s front door open a crack as Fluttershy peeked out with a single blue eye. “Um, are you… by yourself, Pinkie?”   “Nope!” Pinkie said, continuing quickly as Fluttershy’s eye widened with alarm. “I brought twelve friends with me!” Opening her saddlebag, she pulled out the box of cinnamon rolls that she knew were the pegasus’ favorite. “See?” she said, holding the box open in front of her.   “But, um, Rarity’s not…” Fluttershy replied, her eye sinking lower as it darted back and forth, searching the area around Pinkie.   Sighing, Pinkie lowered the box of rolls. “No, she didn’t come,” she said sadly.   With a rattle, Fluttershy undid a chain lock and opened the door. “Oh, okay. Well, please come in, Pinkie,” she said, opening the door just wide enough for her friend to squeeze through.   “Ooh, a new one!” Pinkie said, eying the chain lock. Pinkie silently counted the door’s various bolts and knobs, pointing to each as she tallied. “But this door’s kinda lockariffic already, dontcha think? You even put a little lock on this bigger one!”   “Well,” Fluttershy replied as she began relocking the door, “you really can’t be too careful. I mean, anypo—I mean, some vicious creature could come by.”   “I guess,” Pinkie said, wandering into the kitchen. Fluttershy winced as Pinkie began rooting around Fluttershy’s cabinets, causing the flatware to clatter loudly. “Did you move those little plates?”   “They’re on the left now,” Fluttershy replied, pulling open a drawer and retrieving a butter knife. “I’ve had some time on my hooves recently so I moved some things around…” Falling silent, she flew to the larder and brought back her butter dish.   Pinkie lowered her nose into the open box of rolls she’d placed on the small table, inhaling. As her knees began to feel weak, she grabbed the edge of the table for support. “Don’t they smell yummy?!” she asked, licking her lips. Reaching in, she grabbed one and placed it on a plate, sliding it over to Fluttershy.   “Oh, yes!” Fluttershy said, the barest hint of a smile beginning to creep across her face. “You made them, didn’t you?” Her smile widened a bit as Pinkie nodded vigorously. “Your cinnamon rolls are better than anypony else’s.” Taking the lid off of the butter dish, Fluttershy scooped out a tiny bit and spread it in small, gentle strokes across the top of her roll.   “Oh, that’s not true!” Pinkie said, grabbing another roll and cramming the entire thing into her mouth. Fluttershy waited patiently as Pinkie mumbled several unintelligible things around the pastry. “But besides those ponies,” she finally continued, licking icing from her hoof, “mine are pretty good, I think.”   “I think they’re the best because you make them for your friends,” Fluttershy said, taking a small bite. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back and savored the spicy sweetness. “They’re made with love.”   Pinkie flushed scarlet, beaming before the smile slowly faded from her. “I might be a great baker, but I haven’t been so good at being a friend,” she said, dropping her eyes to the plate she’d failed to use. Placing her hoof on it, she began slowly turning it in a circle. “I wanted to come and say that I’m sorry.”   “What?” Fluttershy said, placing her hoof on her chest. “Pinkie, you’re always a great—”   “No,” Pinkie said, shaking her head. “No, I wasn’t.” Grabbing another roll from the box, she dropped it onto her plate and began tearing small bits off of it. “This summer, you stopped writing all of a sudden,” she continued, stuffing a section of roll into her mouth. “I had the feeling that something was wrong, but got so busy running all over Equestria trying to put together this party that never even happened, that I didn’t come and help you when you needed it.” Pinkie grabbed Fluttershy’s hoof with her own suddenly. “I got all wrapped up in myself, and that’s how I always end up not hearing the baking timer and burning stuff. I’m really, really sorry!” she said, looking away.   Fluttershy glanced down at her hoof, tightly encircled by Pinkie’s. It was now completely covered in vanilla icing. “It’s not your fault, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said, biting her lip. “I-I guess you probably know what happened, right?” Fluttershy sank a little lower in her seat, looking away. “Probably everypony knows, by now…” She looked up at Pinkie sadly. “If anypony here is the bad friend, it’s me. I’m sure Rarity hates me.”   “Rarity doesn’t feel like that at all!” Pinkie said, giving Fluttershy’s hoof a sticky squeeze. “She just thinks she’s mad—” Pinkie winced as Fluttershy cringed, folding her ears back “—but she’s really just sad. She misses you, Fluttershy, and she doesn’t know what went wrong.”   The pegasus wiggled her hoof out of Pinkie’s sugary grip, wiping it with a napkin. “What went wrong is what always goes wrong. I’m a scaredy-pony,” Fluttershy said, sighing. “I-I didn’t know what to do, so I panicked and did the wrong thing. It frightened me, Pinkie!” Fluttershy looked up, pleading with her eyes. “Do you know what it’s like, when your best friend tells you that she wants… more, and you have to disappoint her? I… I couldn’t stand it! I’d do anything for Rarity. She’s always been there for me, helping me when I couldn’t do things on my own.” Fluttershy looked away, her eyes beginning to shimmer. “But when she really needed me, I couldn’t help, so I lied. I just didn’t know what else to do.” Fluttershy slumped over the table, her hooves covering her face. “A-and now look at things! I-I’m so scared of Rarity that I put an extra lock on my door! She was m-my best…” The pegasus’ shoulders began to shake   “Oh, Fluttershy,” Pinkie sighed, hopping off of her chair. Rounding table suddenly, she enveloped the pegasus in a hug. “You two are the silliest, billiest silly-billies in Equestria!” She gave Fluttershy another squeeze, and the pegasus winced, both from the pressure and the large amount of icing that now covered her back. “Rarity’s just wants to know what happened!” Pinkie said, cupping Fluttershy’s teary face between her cinnamon-y hooves. “Okay, yeah, she was a teeny bit upset-ish, but you know Rars. She gets over stuff really quick!” Pinkie released the pegasus and leaned an elbow on the table. “All you have to do is just go have a talk with her!” Pinkie said, crossing one hind hoof over the other. “Easy peasy!”   Fluttershy took to the air in alarm, both hooves covering her mouth. “I-I can’t, Pinkie!” she said, her voice ratcheting up in register. “You don’t understand! I… It’s the worst…” Fluttershy landed, walking backward until she found herself in a corner. “She’ll hate me, Pinkie!” Fluttershy said, cringing. “I just know it. It’s not like I forgot her birthday or accidentally spilled juice on her dress! Pinkie, I-I told her that I was in love with her when I wasn’t! She wrote me letter after letter, and they were so full of hope and joy!” The pegasus extended her wing, ducking her head behind it as she turned away from Pinkie.   “Fluttershy—” Pinkie said, walking to where Fluttershy sat, quivering.   “I tried to ignore them, but the letters just kept coming!” Fluttershy said in a fragile, trembling voice. “Then they stopped being happy. They were sad and angry and miserable sounding. She thought she made a big mistake telling me that she loved me, and I guess she did.” Fluttershy looked back to Pinkie, tears streaming down her face once more. “She picked the worst mare in Equestria! I’d give anything to be the mare she wants me to be! But instead I’m just a scaredy-pony who’s hiding in her house.”   Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out a bright pink handkerchief, holding it out to her friend. As Fluttershy caught the design, she gave Pinkie the beginnings of a grin. Several cupcakes were embroidered there, singing “I love to see you smile, smile, smile.” The pegasus took the cloth in a shaking hoof and mopped below her eyes.   “Fluttershy, you’ve been friends with Rarity since you were fillies! Why do you think she’s gonna be mad at you forever?” Pinkie asked, plopping herself down beside the pegasus and draping a leg around her shoulders. Pinkie lowered her head to look into Fluttershy’s eyes. “None of us want you to be sad and scared, Fluttershy. Dontcha want to feel better?”   Fluttershy nodded, still too worked up to say anything.   “Well, it’s like a party that goes all wrong,” Pinkie said, putting a hoof to her chin. “Sometimes, you just plan out the wrong music and you forget the games. All of a sudden, you look around and no pony is dancing or having any fun at all.” Pinkie hung her head. “We’ve all been there, huh?” she said to Fluttershy, moving on as the Pegasus slowly opened her mouth. “Anyway, you’re just there, hiding in the kitchen and pretending you are bringing out the cake that you forgot to bake; embarrassed because they’re all gonna think you’re a ditz. But you can’t just run away, or they’ll think even worse about you!” Pinkie sprang to her hooves, punching a leg into the air. “Nope! You gotta get out there and tell everypony, ‘Hey, I’m sorry. I made a mistake, and if you’ll give me a few minutes, I’ll get it all fixed up!’”   Fluttershy sagged, tightening into a ball as she stared back at Pinkie with huge, fearful eyes. “It’s not the same,” she whispered. “She won’t forgive me! I know it! Don’t you remember how long she was mad at Prince Blueblood, and she didn’t even like him! What I did was a thousand times worse!”   Pinkie sighed, wringing out the soggy hankie before handing it back to the tearful pegasus. This was turning out to be harder than she’d anticipated. “She told me to tell you something. What was it again?” Pinkie looked up, thinking hard, and then smiled as she remembered. “Oh, yeah!”     Drawing herself up to her full height, Pinkie pulled down on her mane until it reached her chest, then released it. As it snapped back into place, it curled elaborately, somehow mirroring in seconds what took Rarity hours to achieve. Tossing her head, Pinkie batted her eyes at Fluttershy. “‘Maybe you could remind her of my offer for tea. Tell her... wine is off the table, though. She’ll... she’ll know what I mean,’” Pinkie said in an eerily accurate imitation of Rarity’s refined accent.   “She... she wants me to come over for tea?” Fluttershy said, uncurling a bit. Despite her hesitation, a look of longing and hopefulness was spreading across her face. “In her letter she asked me have tea with her so I could let her down gently...” Trotting to where Pinkie sat, she placed her hooves on the earth pony’s shoulders. Pinkie grinned as her friend’s face cycled through fear, hope, terror, and relief rapidly. “She does want to talk. Oh, I...I don’t know if I can,” she said, dropping her eyes to the floor.   “What if I held your hoof?” Pinkie replied softly. “What if I tried to make sure she didn’t get too upset?”   “C-Could you?” Fluttershy answered, hope filling her eyes again. “Could you, Pinkie?”   Pinkie wrapped the pegasus up in another hug. “I’ll do my best!” she said, grinning widely. “I’ll talk to Rarity and let you know as soon as I can!”